Build distributable LÖVE 2D executables for Windows and Linux directly from VS Code.
LoveDist is a Lua game-development tool for the LÖVE game engine. It turns a standard LÖVE project with main.lua into a .love archive or a platform executable without requiring a separate packaging script.
LoveDist adds a heart-shaped action next to the editor title bar for .lua files and can package a game into:
a .love archive,
a Windows x64 executable,
a Linux executable.
This makes LoveDist useful for shipping games built with LÖVE 2D from Visual Studio Code. LoveDist does not package standalone Lua scripts — only LÖVE projects with a main.lua at the project root.
Installation
Open the Extensions view in VS Code.
Search for LoveDist.
Install the extension.
Open a folder containing a LÖVE project with a main.lua file.
Usage
Open a .lua file in the project.
Click the heart button in the editor title bar, or run LoveDist: Build LÖVE Executables from the Command Palette.
Choose a target platform or build for all supported platforms.
The files are written to the configured output directory, which defaults to dist/.
The generated outputs include:
<game>.love — packaged game archive for any LÖVE runtime
<game>-win64.exe — fused Windows 64-bit executable
<game>-linux — fused Linux executable
Configuration
Setting
Default
Description
lovedist.gameName
workspace folder name
Base name for the built files
lovedist.outputDir
dist
Output directory relative to the project root
lovedist.loveVersion
11.5
LÖVE version used when auto-downloading the Windows binary
lovedist.binaries.windows
empty
Path to a local love.exe or directory containing it
lovedist.binaries.linux
love
Path to a local LÖVE ELF binary
Notes
On first use, the Windows build downloads the official LÖVE win64 release into VS Code global storage.
The Linux build fuses your project with the LÖVE binary available on the current machine.
If you want a different runtime, point lovedist.binaries.linux at a specific ELF binary.
Support
If you enjoy this extension and want to support its development, you can donate via Ko-fi:
